butterfly stroke
by moon strut
Summary: Or, that time two kids at odds discovered they might actually be in love with each other. —natsu&lucy, summer camp!au
1. chapter one

**notes: **I've always_always_ wanted to write a multi-chapter fic about summer camp. So here I am, finally doin' it.  
**disclaimer: **applies to all.

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chapter**one**

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Everything _sucks_.

This is why summer will forever be marred for him. He used to _love _summer, loved it like he loved blowing up the neighbor's mailbox, or, or—eating cake. Yeah, cake is awesome. But _no_, those wonderful days just _had_ to be ruined the moment he entered high school, the moment he made his worst possible mistake in all of history. Natsu Dragneel became a counselor for a children's summer camp.

Damn Gray for talking him into doing this two years ago. Damn him for getting him stuck doing this for _every_ goddamn summer in all his high school years. And most of all, damn this stupid bus and everyone in it—and he was _not_ cranky because of this idiotic motion sickness or anything like that.

"If you vomit on me, I will rip off your dick and make you wear it like a sock," the blonde male next to him mused, as if casually showing him a coupon in the magazine he was currently flipping through. Natsu bit back a retort and opted to will his insides from regurgitating what little breakfast he had that morning. He did not ask to sit next to Laxus Dreyar, the biggest douche he's ever had the displeasure of meeting. He did not ask for the bus to have a seating chart, and he certainly did not want the seating chart to be organized alphabetically by surname.

The bus ran over a pot hole, sending the entire vehicle and all the passengers hopping up and down involuntarily in their seats. Natsu felt another unbearable wave of nausea, and grimaced, crossing his arms over his chest.

He hated _everything_ right now.

* * *

Natsu dragged himself to Cabin 7, a firm scowl set on his features. He kept repeating in his mind how much better this was than spending an entire summer home with his dad, who often volunteered to help those in need and Natsu would be forced to go with him _everywhere—_and he was not in the mood to tend to old people with urine on their shirts.

The wood of the cabin held the familiar scent of pine and must, and he abhorred every bit of it. Ignoring the nostalgia of the carvings on the wall, he strolled over to his bed—the only non-bunkbed, 'cause there was no way in hell he was going to _share_ with one of the gremlins he would be assigned. They would surely rock the whole frame, and Natsu would be awarded with a very realistic dream of ships sailing into stormy waters.

Picking up the linen, he studied his 'home' for the next several months. The pillows were gross. He made a mental note to switch his cases with the cleanest ones in the room before anyone noticed.

"I see somebody's the picture of enthusiasm."

The pink haired teenager turned to give his friend the 'fuck off' look because he was so not in the mood to deal with his shit right now.

"What do you want, ass face."

Gray shrugged, moving from his spot at the open door to jump onto Natsu's bed. Much to his dismay, the entire matress wiggled and wobbled like a vat of geletin. Great.

"I wanted to say 'sup. That bus ride was fun, huh?"

Natsu roughly shoved him off the bed using his foot. This didn't seem to bother the other male in the slightest.

"Be a good boy and go play somewhere else—I have things to do."

"Like what—hiding your porn? Y'know, the kids found Gramps' stash last year." Gray smirked and stood, brushing himself off.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "That's 'cause he put it in a really suspicious box that had 'Keep Out' on it—what, did he expect those little shitheads to listen?"

Gray opened his mouth and closed it, deciding against his reply.

"Well, well, if it isn't Ice Princess and Flaming Homo," a third male appeared, leaning against the door frame. Natsu muttered a 'che' and pulled out his headphones from his pack. Gajeel thought he was such a rebel, with his long, rebellious hair and millions of rebellious facial piercings—as if he were some separate breed of badass. God, he couldn't stand him.

"Gajeel." Gray nodded to him in acknowledgement but proceeded to ignore him, continuing his heated discussion with Natsu about good places to store erotic magazines and whatnot. Of course, this evolved into a full-on fist fight—or rather, a competition between who can slap the other faster. The lighter haired male really hated losing to his friend in anything, and that included petty arguments.

"You fairies can flirt later—let's go get somethin' to eat," Gajeel grumbled, snickering as he left.

"He fucking called me a fairy?" Natsu complained.

"That's what bothers you?"

* * *

It seemed like everyone had gathered at the mess hall in hopes of receiving a late lunch. Natsu looked at the familiar faces all around, stabbing his macaroni with a plastic spork—it was quite possibly the worst mac and cheese he had ever tasted. Seriously, the noodles were hard and stale and the cheese smelled like socks. Glancing at his friend from the corner of his eye, he smirked in satisfaction at Gray's expression, identical to his own.

"Oh my god—who the hell made today's lunch?" He poked his tuna sandwich with a careful finger, as if expecting it to bite it off if he aggravated it any further. A drop of a violet substance oozed down the crust, and he shuddered, stomach dropping.

"Er," Natsu started, unable to produce the appropriate words. As the two were dissecting the mysterious sandwich, a pair of familiar girls came to a stop in front of their table. Upon noticing their presence, Gray's face lit up instantly, and Natsu—well, not so much. At all.

"I made lunch for everyone, since the cook hasn't arrived yet," Mirajane informed them, playing with the tips of her frosted hair and smiling brightly before her expression quickly fell. She suddenly ran off, face buried in her small hands.

"Shit," Gray cursed, grabbing his (rather maimed) lunch and following her. "Look, Mira, I'm eating it! It's reallyreallyreally good!"

Natsu watched his friend leave with an amused smile before turning his attention to the blonde before him—a.k.a. the very last person he wanted to see that summer. His eyes roamed over her figure without him realizing, and he noticed her long, smooth legs, the curve of her waist dipping in, her ample (ahem) _assets, _and of course, the smug look on her pretty little face, soft, pink lips upturned in a small smile. So what if her 'Camp Fairy Tail' shirt was a little tight, emphasizing her curves in just the right places, or who cared if her long, blonde hair was perfectly tied in low pigtails, stray hairs cascading over her shoulders. It wasn't like he was looking or anything.

"Why, if it isn't Natsu Dragneel," her seemingly sweet voice was laced with malice.

"Lucy," he replied through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to clear his throat. Lucy Heartfilia was the most insufferable girl in all of Fiore—no, in the entire galaxy even. She had joined the Camp Fairy Tail counselors the previous year, and not only did she immediately throw him the 'holier than thou' vibes before even learning his name, she had to go and find the most trivial things to complain and argue about. She made his summer worse than a living hell—her and her huge boobs and long legs and—

"I see you're still an angry hag," she commented, crossing her arms over her chest. Not that he was staring.

"I see you're still a bitch," he countered, stabbing his lunch with more vigor than before.

Her chocolate brown eyes narrowed, but the devious smile on her pristine face widened just a bit. She leaned forward, placing a hand on the table.

"How has school been? Still failing Pre-Algrebra?"

"I'm taking Geometry now, thanks. And I have a _C_."

"You're gonna go far in life," she giggled. He glowered at her through dark, dark eyes.

"Yeah, well, shut up," he mentally kicked himself for not coming up with a better comeback.

Lucy frowned a bit. "Still haven't fixed that attitude, huh?" She shook her head disapprovingly.

"Still haven't fixed your hair, huh." Her _hair_, Natsu? Really. The knot of frustration in him expanded the more she continued to prod and jab at his pride._  
_

She pouted, "What's wrong with my hair?"

He bit the tip of his spork, bending it a little. Unfazed by her act, he answered bluntly, "I hate pig tails."

"Your hair is pink. I don't think you should be criticizing other people's hair." She scoffed, flipping fallen strands of gold over her shoulder.

Natsu eyed her shorts—or rather, the tiny piece of material that barely covered her bottom, and he scoffed at her choice of attire. But he noted the way it hugged her hips, and damn it, why did it have to make her ass look so good—

"Are you a hooker or a kid's camp counselor? Put some pants on," he smirked when her smile dissolved.

She leaned in further, grabbing a handful of his trademark scarf, "Yeah, and who wears scarves in the summer, you dolt?"

"Don't touch m—"

"Well, aren't you two getting along swimmingly," another familiar face joined the two, smiling as she tied her long, vermilion hair into a high ponytail.

"Erza," Natsu acknowledged her, eyes never leaving the fierce brown ones before him.

"As if," Lucy scoffed and effectively ended the momentary stare-down, whipping his scarf back so that it slapped him in the face. He glared at her, but she only squealed and hugged her friend, completely ridding him from her attention. How can her entire mood just change in the span of seconds? She was so annoying, he just wanted to hibernate until summer ended, so he wouldn't have to deal with bipolar blonde harpies with poison-laced talons.

A voice boomed out from the speakers, and all eyes fell on the small, elderly man standing in the middle of the hall, microphone in hand. Natsu leaned his chin on his hand, barely listening to the annual 'welcome back' speech from their quirky, unorganized leader, who despite his impressive age refused to retire. He found his eyes wandering towards a certain figure again, traveling up her long, slender legs to her curvaceous—

NO. Stop it, Natsu. He pulled at a handful of his salmon hair, willing himself to think of poodles and Gray in drag and pancakes—anything but her.

"—and so that is why we will be pairing up for more interaction between girls and boys," Natsu choked on his own spit and gawked at the old man, whose mischievous smile looked quite suspicious. "I've already assigned the partners, so go see Mira for the list. That is all. Enjoy the rest of the day because the little monsters—I mean, children will be here tomorrow!"

Partners? Partners with _girls_? Oh god, kill him. Someone please murder him right now—doesn't matter how, just do it. Here, use a spork or this stale macaroni or—

"Looks like we're partners this summer!" His head snapped up at the high-pitched voice, eyes traveling skyward to see—blue? Natsu blinked and stared at the beaming girl before him. Her unkempt, cerulean hair was kept back with a simple headband that matched her orange shorts. The petite girl waved, a friendly gesture with no underlying hatred—unlike _someone_; he snorted. Oh, she was Lucy's friend—Lizzie, was it? No, that can't be right...

"Er, Lizzie?" He tried, offering her an awkward grin.

Her smile fell a fraction of a centimeter, and she pouted softly. "It's Levy."

"Oh, right. My bad," he gave her an apologetic look. The two shook hands and exchanged brief introductions before Natsu was roughly pulled out of his seat and dragged out the door, leaving a very confused Levy blinking to herself.

"Ow—what the hell, dude!" Natsu glowered at the culprit, rubbing his wrist. Gajeel didn't meet his glare, but instead chose to squish a bug under his shoe, kicking up dust and rocks.

"Your partner is Levy, right?"

The pink haired teen cocked his head to the side. Why did it matter to him? Unless — His eyes widened and a smirk tugged at his lips. Could it be...

"Someone's got a crush," he nudged the other male in the ribs, poking his face until he finally snapped. Slapping his offensive hand away, Gajeel scowled, looking rather conflicted.

"Shut up, fag. I don't."

"Then why did you—"

"Switch with me."

Natsu blinked. "What."

"I said switch with me, bitch."

He put his hands up in defense, amusement bubbling up inside. "No need to be so rude, Gajeel. I'll switch—but what do I get in return?"

The darker haired teen grabbed him by the scarf. "My foot _not _up your ass."

"Mm, I don't know. It doesn't seem fair enough—"

"I'll take your dish washing shift for two weeks," he reasoned, sighing and running a hand through his long hair.

"A month."

"_Three _weeks."

"A month."

"Fuck you."

"Well, then, I guess I'll just head back to Le—"

"Fine. FINE. A month of dish washing. Deal?"

Natsu smiled, greatly enjoying his moment of victory. Who would've thought that the stupid punk, Gajeel, would have a thing for the short bookworm?

"Alright, deal."

They shook on it, firmly gripping the other's hand, neither wanting to lose the display of dominance.

"So," he started as the two re-entered the mess hall, where counselors everywhere were partnering up, some looking flustered and others looking relieved. "Who was your partner?"

Gajeel suddenly stopped walking, a devilish smirk plastered onto his pierced face, pointing towards the far corner of the room. Natsu frowned—well _that_ didn't look good. Slowly, his eyes settled on the very area where two girls stood chatting, looking rather impatient and confused. Next to his former partner stood the object of his utmost animosity and (sexual) frustration. Oh, no; please don't let it be—

"Lucy Heartfilia."

Day one of summer camp — things have already gone to shit.

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**tbc**

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**notes: **I hope this fic goes somewhere and doesn't end up collecting dust. So, **review**? (:


	2. chapter two

**notes: **Thanks for the love, guys; I feel it all. I'm usually very slow at updating, and well, I should change that. Really.

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chapter**two**

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To say she was feeling annoyed would be an understatement. Her whole summer had pretty gone down the drain, along with her cheerful camper spirit. This job was one of the things she's looked forward to since starting last year (yeah, it was _that_ fun). Everything had been so enjoyable; her co-workers were friendly and inviting; the children were—well, tolerable, to an extent. Being a summer camp counselor was really one of the best decisions she had ever made, and all that came with it was so perfect—with the exception of _one _detestable little hitch.

Natsu Dragneel.

Lucy bent her plastic spork, angrily folding it in all odd directions when it didn't snap in half like she had planned. Glaring bullets into the back of a head covered in nauseating _pink_, she felt irritation boiling within her. He was just sitting there, eating cereal (unfortified, mind you), wearing his stupid, stupid scarf and talking to his friends with a stupid, stupid smile on his stupid face. She groaned in frustration, alarming those sitting around her.

Levy, who had been reading a relatively thick novel in the seat next to her, removed her glasses, lightly pinching the bridge of her nose. "Lucy, please refrain from destroying _all _the sporks. Or else we'll be forced to eat with our hands within the first month."

The blonde teen only unfolded the damaged piece of plastic and proceeded to stab at her neglected salad. "But it's all because of _that _mongrel," she pointed the deformed utensil at the current object of her undying hatred and rage, "that my summer is completely ruined!"

"It's not _that _bad," Mirajane mused, smiling rays of sunshine.

At this, Lucy turned to glare—or well, as close to a hateful look as she could muster; this _was _Mira, after all—at the blissful teen sitting with her hands folded neatly before her.

"Mira, you traitor!" She wailed. "How could you let him _switch!_"

But the older female could only raise her hands in defense, unable to conjure up the correct words to prevent her friend from detonating. Lucy felt like crying; she felt like screaming and flipping all the tables in the mess hall. How could she—! She just _let _that other beast—Gajeel, was it?—casually cross off names and rewrite them (this means _a lot_, by the way, because Lucy does not take lists lightly), and then he went and _kidnapped _her best friend, throwing her over his shoulder as if she were some baggage. Even worse, Levy didn't seem to mind at all!

And then—oho, and _then,_ the most dastardly person of all has the audacity to _glare at her_, as if it was all _her _fault. Unforgivable—

"You're partners with Natsu now, Lucy?" Lisanna joined in; she was clearly enjoying the chaos of it all.

"Why, yes. Thank you for reminding me, Lisanna, for I had completely forgotten," her voice dripped sarcasm, but the other girl only giggled.

"But what's so bad about that?"

The blonde could only stare at her friend, unblinking. "What's so bad at about it? What's so _bad!? _I'll—"

"Relax, kid," The brunette interjected, leaning back in her chair. "Lucy's just sexually frustrated is all."

Lucy sputtered and choked on air. "I'm _what—_"

Cana smirked and tossed her long, wavy hair over her shoulder, revealing her cropped version of the 'Camp Fairy Tail' shirt. "You don't have to hide it, honey. We can all feel the sexual tension in the air when you're flirting with Dragneel over there."

"F—Flirting—!?"

"Yup. You're totally sendin' him the 'do me' vibes."

"_No_, I am _not!_"

"You are." Levy snickered, hiding behind her book.

"Juvia agrees."

"But isn't he kind of cute?" Lisanna considered thoughtfully, eyes shimmering with delight.

"I've seen the way you two look at each other."

"The 'bedroom eyes'," Erza, who had refrained from joining in the chatter up until now, added.

"Exactly."

Lucy, having enough of this ridiculous, idiotic discussion, abruptly stood; her chair slid back with a groan. "You are all bitches. I hate you. Go die."

As she stalked off, her friends exploded in fits of laughter, completely unfazed by her harsh words (that really had no meaning behind them, as they all knew). Really, she just made it _so _easy for them.

* * *

Lucy was _not_ a morning person. Especially when the pillow she slept on the night before smelled like mold and glue and other unidentified odors. And especially when she was up until who knows when, ruminating about why the world was so against her. The relief she had felt upon discovering that her partner was indeed _not_ Natsu Dragneel was instantaneously crushed before she had the time to even relish in it.

Sure it wasn't as if the world was ending or she was dying of cancer or anything like that. Honestly, a small part of her found enjoyment in arguing with the pink haired teen. If anything, a conversation (such a civil way of putting their interactions, isn't it?) with him was never boring and bland. But other than that, she really could not stand the guy.

His 'I don't give a shit' attitude was just grating on her nerves; he could at least have the decency to _pretend _he didn't hate her like she murdered a puppy or something of the sort. Well, it wasn't like _she _didn't hate him as well_—_they were both guilty of that.

But she also couldn't deny that Natsu was not exactly hard on the eyes. He had about him a roguish charm; his dark, dark eyes and sculpted jawline; the perfectly tousled coral hair that _no one _should be able to pull of somehow worked for him; and not to mention his _abs_. The boy was cut. She had witnessed firsthand his toned and defined display during the swimming portion of last year's summer camp, and honestly, had he not been so absorbed in half-drowning, half-playing with a kid, he would have _never _let her live down that blush staining her light skin.

She grabbed at her saffron hair, tugging it into tangled messes. Was she actually finding Natsu _attractive?_ It really was too early for her to be thinking straight_—_her brain didn't fully kick in until it was at least eleven AM, she reasoned with herself. The dirt and sediment crunched beneath her hiking boots, and she kicked up some dust, taking pleasure in blowing it around everywhere. She glanced at her wristwatch (seriously, when's the last time she had to wear one of these?); 8:59AM. The children would be here at ten, as their camp leader had mentioned.

Just an hour to kill before her life became a living hell. Wonderful.

* * *

At ten in the morning Lucy took her place next to her (dreadful) partner in the line of counselors as they awaited the arrival of the buses full of children. She noted the scowl firmly set on his brows, lips tugged downward in an evident frown. Giving him a once-over, her eyes lingered on his khaki shorts and up to his collar. She pursed her lips in a tight line; it wasn't her fault she may sort of have a _thing_ for defined collar bones. And how did he make that shirt look so good_—_

Her blonde hair flew about wildly as she shook her head. Stop _ogling _him, Lucy. What ever happened to pride and dignity? Fixing her side ponytail, she sighed, mentally preparing herself for this endeavor_—_

"Well don't you look like shit."

She didn't even flinch at the deep, insulting voice that resonated beside her. Turning to him, she flashed him a smug grin.

"Why, how sweet. I can say the same for you." She batted her long lashes at him, reveling in his obvious discomfort.

"I see you got rid of those ugly pig tails," he commented.

"I, for one, like to change my style every so often," she placed a delicate hand on her chest. "Not that you would know anything of the sort, having had the same hairstyle since you were born."

He scoffed. "Doesn't matter what you look like—you're still a bitch."

"And you're still a juvenile dickhead."

"Can you back up? Your breath smells like ass."

Her smile faltered just slightly, and she glanced down at his feet. "You're wearing sandals. I could easily smash your toes with my ironclad boots."

"I will throw you into the lake."

"Well, I'll—"

"Can you two lovebirds please just shut the fuck up?" Laxus grumbled, slipping on his headphones. These were immediately tugged off by a frowning Mirajane, who shot her partner a disapproving look.

Before any more discord could occur within the group of teenagers, a line of buses pulled into view, rolling to a stop several yards away. The doors opened simultaneously with a hiss, and for a moment everything was silent. Not a cough or a chirp or a rustle could be heard. And then, with an ear-splitting cacophony of screams, a sea of rabid children poured out from the vehicles.

They practically stampeded their way to surround Makarov, as he fought to keep his balance against the crowd of hands that grabbed at him, some intending to hug, while others were simply trying to cause trouble. Despite the roughhousing, the elderly camp leader could only laugh and bellow out affectionate greetings.

"Now, now, children, settle down," they instantly quieted, staring at the man expectantly. "Welcome to Camp Fairy Tail! And for some of you, welcome back! This year, we have decided to do something a little different." At this, they all gasped and whispered amongst each other as if he had just told them something scandalous. "That's right, this year each cabin will be paired with another of the opposite gender. So now, a group will consist of a cabin of boys and a cabin of girls. Doesn't that sound fun?" The young boys all groaned in unison, complaining about how girls were boring and didn't even play Pokemon ('cause who _doesn't_ like Pokemon?). The females only chattered in excitement, squealing and giggling.

As the youngsters, ranging from ages of eight to fourteen were assigned their appropriate cabin leaders, Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her fingers on her arm. She stole a glance at her partner and smirked at his expression of utter acrimony.

"What's got you so grim?" She inquired, not really caring for his answer. Annoying him while he was already upset had its own perks in her book.

"Guess who got stuck with the 'upper' level?" He ground out, eyes holding infinite displeasure.

Her jaw hung open. "No."

But she knew—there were no lies in that look he gave her, no joking tone in his voice. The 'upper' level of kids, as the counselors liked to refer to it, consisted of the pre-pubescent to adolescent campers—a.k.a. the most hormonal and horniest batch. Lucy had been blessed with the 'lower' level last summer, a grace for her first year on the job presumably. But her luck had run out. Oh god, this was so bad, so very, very bad—

"You're hot."

She stopped pacing to swivel her head at the lewd statement. Coffee eyes fell on the smug, grinning face of a young boy, about thirteen years of age perhaps. Why, this little shit—

"What's your name?" He questioned her, inching ever so closely. Her lip curled up in disgust; what was up with kids being so perverted at such youthful ages? Feeling violated was a huge understatement; she just wanted to wrap her hands around his scrawny little neck and—

"Keep it in your pants, kid," Natsu interjected flatly, grabbing him by the back of his shirt. Lucy blinked in mild surprise as the pink haired teen continued to drag the kid away to the rest of the forming group. "Don't wander off, Truman."

Struggling in vain against his iron grip, the young boy exclaimed, "Hey, that's not my name!"

"Don't care. From now on, you are Truman."

Lucy bit back her laughter and settled for a smirk instead. Truman. What an perfectly awful name—

"Excuse me," a small tug at her shirt brought her attention back to the situation at hand. "Are you our cabin leader?"

She blinked at the demure young girl standing meekly before her and smiled, ruffling her sapphire hair lightly. "Yup. Name's Lucy."

"I'm Wendy. Wendy Marvell. Please take care of me!" She recited in a stiff manner before bowing so low, her hair brushed the dirt. Lucy giggled, patting the girl on her head. It was a relief, to say in the least; manners were quite rare among children these days.

Lucy sighed, eyes traveling to watch the group of rowdy boys chattering in glee with the male she hated with a passion of a million and some exploding stars. Next stop, 'icebreaker' activities—those were always horrible. Grabbing her clipboard from an enthusiastic Erza, she blew a raspberry and examined the list of names. She glanced down at the girls before her, grinning brightly with stars in their eyes. Sixteen counselors, six kids each—shouldn't be so bad, right?

Now if only she could just survive two and a half more months of this.

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**tbc**

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**notes: **I tend to go back and revise my writing, so I apologize for any confusion in past chapters. Be a doll and **review**? (:


	3. chapter three

**notes: **thanks for making it to chapter three, and i apologize for taking fifty billion years to update this.

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chapter**three**

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Natsu was not happy. 'Happy' was an emotion not often felt since his arrival here at Camp Fairy Tail. And ever since he became partners with a certain gorgeous—er, disgusting Lucy Heartfilia.

"Can you just cooperate, so we can get this over with?" Lucy sighed, placing a hand on her hip—and _no_, his eyes did not linger for a just a second longer on the curve of her waist.

"Nope," Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked away towards the many scattered pairs of children, chattering in excitement with one another.

She frowned. "Stop being such a brat, Dragqueen. The sooner we do this, the less I have to see your ugly face."

He glared at her slanderous comment but sighed, blowing stray hair from his eyes. "What do I have to do?"

"Just answer my questions and memorize what I tell you."

"Che."

"Suck it up, princess."

"Whatever."

"Rude."

"Bitch."

"Ugh, _you_—" Her arms and hands flailed around, and he mentally snorted, thinking she looked quite ridiculous. She suddenly stilled, exhaling deeply, and said, "Never mind, just—what's your favorite color?"

Natsu grit his teeth. Stupid, dumbass, annoying icebreakers and stupid, irritating blonde girls wearing short shorts and tight shirts, who wouldn't just shut up and leave him alone. The whole concept of such activities were also so idiotic to him. Honestly, he really didn't give a shit about what someone's favorite food was or what anyone liked to do in their free time.

"Red."

"Okay, good. My favorite color is periwinkle."

He scoffed, "Periwinkle? What kind of dumbass color is that? Just say blue or something."

Her face darkened slightly. "It's not blue. It's _periwinkle_."

"Same shit."

"No, it's not! That's like saying red is the same as pink."

"That's stupid."

"You're stupid."

"This is stupid."

"I agree. Now shut up."

"Don't agree with me."

"What—stop being annoying."

"You're annoying."

"No, _you're_ annoying."

"Fuck this. I'ma go eat a muffin." Natsu stood from his seat in the grass and stalked off towards the mess hall.

It took a moment for her to process what he had just said, as she sat by herself with a scowl on her brow. And then he heard her yell, "Wait—what about the icebreaker!?"

* * *

Natsu, having been completely unsuccessful in his quest for a nice blueberry muffin, bit into a chocolate chip bagel and continued to rummage around for a juice box. He turned, then, and was met by a very smug Gray.

"I see you're having a wonderful time with the children."

Natsu snorted, shoving past him towards the exit. "Yeah, pre-pubescent dickheads are just _so_ fun."

"What a role model, you are," Gray's sarcasm was unappreciated, as always.

"Shut up. You get the lower level cute, drooling kids. I get... Horny, rebellious jerk-offs." He waved his hand in exasperated motions to further emphasize his point. "And at least your partner isn't secretly plotting to stab you in your sleep. With a plastic spork, I bet."

At this, Gray raised his eyebrows, curiosity piqued. "What—Juvia? Nah, she's cool. Weird, but not enough to conspire my murder."

They stepped out into the searing heat once again, and Natsu shielded his eyes from the initial contact, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Lucky you," he muttered.

"Why? What's wrong with Lucy?"

"She's a pain in the ass." This was a complete and utter understatement, he noted.

"But she's hot."

That was the type of comment, courtesy of one very annoying Gray, that gave him the strongest urge to break his friend's face. Just because he never understood why Natsu had such a rough time dealing with his unmovable partner. Of course, he couldn't agree more with the statement, as idiotic and shallow it may be, but how could he appreciate such a view when Lucy was being such a huge bitch to him?

"Natsu!"

Speak of the devil.

He turned, a fraction, towards her echoing voice. She was jogging from across the field, cheeks flushed pink from the scorching heat. And he did notice how her skin-tight T-shirt did little to hide her rather generous assets, especially with the way she was moving.

"Wow, thanks for—why am I not surprised," she gestured at the half-eaten bagel in his hand with exasperation. "Okay, forget that, go meet your kids at the cabin."

His eyebrows shot up. "What about the iceshitters?"

"Ice_breakers_," she quickly corrected. "And we finished them because your slow ass decided not to cooperate."

"Well that was fast."

"I _told_ you." Lucy brandished a clipboard, probably feeling so proud of herself. Natsu snorted.

He grabbed the papers—attendance sheets, event lists, and the camp schedule—as she began to hand them to him without really looking.

"Wait," she grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. "Don't forget this." A pink name tag displaying his name in neat black writing was pinned to the front of his shirt.

Natsu grabbed it and snarled. "We're the _pink_ group?" He gave her an incredulous look.

Lucy only smiled, falsely sweet and venomous as ever. "Aren't you happy? It matches your hair."

"I hate you."

She sighed, continuing her masquerade of feigned innocence. "If you were only there at the icebreakers, you might have gotten the chance to choose a different color." She shrugged. "OH, WELL."

"I _hate_ you."

How badly he desire to rip that smug curve of those soft, rosy lips off her pretty, little deceptive face.

"See you at the opening ceremony, _partner_." Seasoned with malice, she offered a lazy wave and flipped her shiny, saffron locks before strolling away. Man, she really knew how to work those shorts. As deceitful as she may be, she was still a female (and quite easy on the eyes, at that). And Natsu was still simply a male.

"I feel like my existence was nonexistent these past few minutes." Gray commented slowly.

Natsu dragged a hand through his dusty, salmon hair and shoved his friend roughly as he made his way to the boy's cabins.

* * *

He took a long, deep breath and pushed open the creaky door of Cabin 7. Immediately, he was greeted by a barrage of lumpy pillows and the rowdy babbling of six young boys. There were scattered shouts of 'Quiksilver would totally kick the crap outta Flash' and 'Oh, my GOD, you have Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!?' and Natsu wanted to scream because this was the type of shit that induced incapacitating headaches.

"Okay, the adult is here." He rallied the attention of all six boys. "Now if everyone could just kindly _shut_ _up_—" Natsu eyed one of them, who was desperately trying to fit in his train of thought with one last breath. "—thank you, I'll take roll, and then you guys can do whatever you want 'til 5. Cool?"

They all grumbled and muttered complaints (probably) under their breath and sat down obediently, as Natsu flipped through the sheet of names.

Ah, six new names. Will they be too much for him to remember?

"Sting."

"Here."

He eyed the kid with the fiery eyes and wrote down 'blonde' next to his name.

"Rogue."

"Present."

And, whoa, this kid was the embodiment of gloomy. Natsu noted 'emo' on the list.

"Happy...?"

"Aye!"

...Okay. 'Cat' would be completely appropriate in this case, he thought, glancing at the cat-eared beanie on the kid's head.

"Romeo."

"Here."

With downcast eyes, he was a surprising paradox, shining with absolute determination burning through his veins. And for some reason, he felt no need to make a note for this one.

Then came a snort. "What kinda name is Romeo?"

"You're one to talk, Truman." Natsu easily countered, finishing off his scribblings.

"That's not even my—"

The miffed camp counselor promptly slammed him with deadly eye contact, and the pre-teen immediately closed his mouth.

"Okay, remember, 5PM. And if any one of you savage little human beings touches my bed," he pointed at the neatly made bundle of sheets, just for good measure. "You are sleeping outside tonight."

* * *

"This. This is the gayest shit ever." Laxus openly complained, followed by a slap on the arm and a scolding from a scowling Mirajane.

Natsu, for once, couldn't agree more with the blonde douchebag. The annual opening ceremony was as flamboyantly fruity as ever, chock full of awkward skits and terribly choreographed dance routines. Not to mention the main stars of such an _outstanding_ show: sixteen camp counselors. Sixteen _very_ unwilling counselors.

Of course, it progressed disastrously as expected. Gray felt the need to strip himself of his costume _every fucking minute_, Gajeel decided to sing along to the music with a voice that sounded absurdly similar to a dying beaver, Laxus just...can't dance, Cana was drunk somehow, and Erza displayed the most painfully horrendous acting to ever grace the children. That wasn't even worst of it.

One idiotically carefree Lucy strutted out on the stage clad in an Alice in Wondeland-esque dress, and it was like she practically owned the crowd. The kids _loved_ her. All was going well, as Natsu watched incredulously from beside, impressed at her ability of connect so well to the children.

And then it happened.

Lucy walked out a little to far, and she got a little to excited, all to the point where her shoes kind of slipped out from under her. She went toppling over the edge, flailing and wide-eyed in panic.

And then, Natsu somehow caught her, like his arm had an instinctively heroic persona all on its own.

His hand gripped her slender forearm, and he pulled her up as his other hand braced her from behind. Lucy was hyperventilating, clinging to him like a lifeline, with ragged uneven breaths.

She was absolutely terrified.

And _that_ scared him.

He chose to accompany her backstage after Erza and Jellal took over, and only in that moment of uneasy silence did he notice his own rapid heartbeat. Placing a hand on his chest, he exhaled heavily and took the only seat beside Lucy.

It was during these times that the gentleman in Natsu made his appearance, regardless of how much he hated a person.

A reassuring hand rested on her shoulder for a fraction a second before he jerked back, because _what the hell was he about to do. _

"You 'kay?" He asked slowly. She had seemingly calmed down, but her lengthy period of being taciturn was making him anxious.

Then, she turned to him and pointed a manicured finger at herself, brown eyes firm yet fearful. "I could have _died_. Oh, my God, I almost broke my neck and DIED." She continued to ramble on and on about her life flashing before her eyes and how she was so incredibly lucky.

Well. At least this was better than her uncharacteristic silence.

"Natsu," she suddenly called. He blinked at her with a bored expression. "Thank you."

He coughed awkwardly and mumbled a quick 'yeah' before covering his face with his hand and looking anywhere _but_ at her. She was completely sincere, a light furrow on her perfectly shaped brows, pink lips in a slight pout, and he was scared shitless.

For the first time ever, Lucy Heartfilia was _almost_ cute. Almost.

The two sat in a comfortable silence on the bench backstage, and the ceremony went on without them.

,

,

,

**tbc**

* * *

**notes: **and yes, i made young!sting&rogue and human!happy. aren't i a genius.


End file.
